by Karen Nichols Although Northern Saw-whet owls are one of the most abundant forest raptors in North America, they are rarely seen due to their nocturnal and secretive nature. Until recent decades, the diminutive owls were thought to be rare in many places and mostly non-migratory. Banding efforts over the past 30+ years are shedding…
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by Jake Bramante It didn’t look good for birding. The fog was low and the birds, were largely quiet as we stood shivering at the entrance to Herron Park. Undeterred, we began our quest, heading up to The Notch. Before entering the forest, we spied an American Robin, heard a House Finch, and a silent…
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Upper Swan CBC December 15 Upper Swan held its annual Christmas Bird Count on Thursday, December 15, with nine field observers. We had decent weather with temperatures ranging from 19 to 27, cloudy skies, and wind at 7 mph. Most still water was frozen and moving water was partly open. Snow depths ranged from six…
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The 24th Kalispell Christmas Bird Count was held on Sunday, January 1, 2023. A total of 75 species was recorded, a number which is about average for this count. Highlights included the 2nd ever Yellow-headed Blackbird (Craig Hohenberger et. al.), the 2nd ever Pied-billed Grebe (Elaine Snyder et al.), the 3rd ever Northern Saw-whet Owl…
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by Darcy Thomas A morning of bird watching at Smith Lake in Kila was very successful September 8 with eleven birders joining Darcy Thomas around the lake. Two were visiting from out-of-state and the youngest was only 5 years old. It was a bit chilly at 41 degrees when we started but warmed up comfortably…
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by Darcy Thomas A morning of bird watching September 8 at Smith Lake in Kila was very successful. Eleven birders joined leader Darcy Thomas; two were visiting from out-of-state; the youngest was 5 years old. It was a bit chill at 41 degrees when we started but warmed up comfortably later in the morning. A…
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by Pam Willison Haunting, quavering, buzzy, isolated and resonant, lacking melody and fluidity, and musical but dissonant. The Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius) provides a challenge for those who seek to describe the song. Possibly the best description is polyphonous: 2 or 3 notes sounded simultaneously resulting in a sound that sometimes seems harmonious, and sometimes…
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Catharus guttatus by Gail Cleveland Northwest Montana is blessed with a number of species from the family of Turdidae or Thrushes. These include the Western and Mountain Bluebird, Townsend’s Solitaire, American Robin, Varied Thrush as well three species of the genus Catharus: the Swainson’s Thrush, Veery, and the subject of this article: the Hermit Thrush….
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by Lisa Bate Glacier National Park (GNP) held its annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) on Sunday, December 16, 2018. Thirty participants contributed to this event by covering 10 different routes in Glacier and 1 bird feeder in West Glacier. Participants spent the day counting all bird species and individuals detected. The weather was unusually mild…
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by Jake Bramante While on a bird walk in Yosemite National Park with a naturalist with the Yosemite Conservancy, someone saw a bird and said something along the lines of, “Oh that’s just a raven” or something to that affect. The naturalist cleverly noted that in his bird books, he’s never seen any species named…
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